


A Dark Hope

by Stolen_Ink



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 12:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9549593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stolen_Ink/pseuds/Stolen_Ink
Summary: What would have happened if Obi Wan and Bail Organa had been caught with the twins? How might the fate of the galaxy been changed? Follow the story of Luke and Leia as a pair of closely knit Sith apprentices, Darth Manaeus and Darth Austereus, as they pursue a trio of Rebels, Wedge Antilles, Biggs Darklighter, and Lando Calrissian who have managed to get their hands on some rather sensitive plans. What has changed, and what stayed the same?





	1. A New Hope, Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Obi Wan and Bail are on their way to Tatooine when they get intercepted. Hope you enjoy my first fic, constructive criticism welcome! :)

 

The Tantive IV drifted lazily around the dull, golden orb of Tatooine. Its sleek white form cut through the black of space, it’s bright engines pulsating with life. The peace of space betrayed nothing of the turmoil inside the consular ship after the events of the past few days. Due to the betrayal of Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Order had fallen and the Republic had given way to the Galactic Empire, led by Emperor Palpatine, who had revealed himself as the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. After a harrowing mission by Jedi Masters Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda to warn the remaining Jedi, the Tantive IV, chosen vessel of Alderaanian senator Bail Organa, had taken Yoda to his new home in the Dagobah system. They had already decided what to do with the children of the late Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. Luke, the boy, would be taken to his family on the desert planet Tatooine, to be watched over by his father’s mentor, Obi Wan. Leia, his twin, would be taken to Alderaan, to be raised as a princess with Senator Organa, her mother’s trusted friend. 

Final preparations were being made for the consular ship to enter atmosphere, as Obi Wan made sure Luke was comfortable and said his final goodbyes. To the casual onlooker, Obi Wan seemed normal, upbeat even, but Bail saw something shattered in the Jedi’s deep blue eyes. Broken. He didn’t know exactly what had transpired on the lava planet Mustafar, but he knew that Obi Wan and Padme had encountered Anakin, and that she had perished as a direct result of that encounter. He placed a comforting hand on the Jedi’s shoulder.

“The days of the Jedi, and those of democracy, are far from over, my friend,” he smiled reassuringly, and saw a little of the pain in the Jedi's eyes disappear. Not much, but it was something.

“Thank you, Bail. I know it may seem like a slim chance, but these children are a new hope to bring back the Jedi and stop Palpatine. They may be our last hope,” Obi Wan seemed to be talking to himself, staring down at the red-faced baby in his arms. 

Suddenly, as if the Force itself was laughing at the pair’s idealism, an impact rocked the ship, almost knocking Bail off of his feet. Obi Wan, hardened by countless space battles, steadied himself quickly and helped the senator to his feet, alarm and fear written all over his normally serene face.

“We’re under attack!” Obi Wan gave Luke to Bail, then drew his lightsaber from his belt. “Take the twins, get to an escape pod. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can.”

Bail took the boy, who had woken and begun to cry. “Thank you, Master Jedi. May the Force be with you.”

“And with you. Go!” Obi Wan rushed down the hall, towards the airlock, while Bail rushed to the infirmary, to find Leia.

Obi Wan was rocked by a series of other explosions as he strode down the halls, accompanied by a group of guards wielding blasters. _It won’t be enough_ , he thought. Every sense was on high alert now, and he could sense a powerful Sith on the attacking ship. Very powerful. What disturbed Obi Wan the most, clouding his senses and making panic coil in his stomach, was the sense of familiarity he felt.  _ It can’t be _ . The thought was too horrible for him to even think about, and he pushed it into the far recesses of his mind. He slipped off his rough brown robe as he ran, standing in his tan tunic, which still stank of ash and fire. At last he was at the airlock, as the guards took positions against the walls. They wore black and blue uniforms, and long, round helmets. The Alderaanians were a peaceful people, but they brought weapons to protect their king from the less scrupulous denizens of the galaxy. Still, they were inexperienced, and would be no match for the hardened soldiers of the fallen Republic. Obi Wan still didn’t understand what had caused all the clones to turn on the Jedi, but he knew that no amount of convincing would be enough to stop them from killing everyone on the ship. With a sinister hiss, the airlock was breached, and clone ARC troopers poured into the passageway, their bone-white armor daubed with thick strokes of red.

“For the Republic!” Obi Wan activated his lightsaber, the familiar blade of cerulean energy doing little to comfort him, and charged the troopers. He killed two with deflected bolts before cutting down a third, as the guards opened fire, their volley devastating on the troopers in the close quarters. Still, the ARC troopers were nothing if not precise, and their blasters took their toll upon the guards as well. Soon, Obi Wan was forced back by laser fire, and roughly half the guards had fallen. The troopers stopped firing, and, showing their naivete, the Alderaanian guards stopped as well. The clones parted, and a chilling sound reached Obi Wan; a rattling breath, somehow mechanical, accompanied by heavy footsteps. A tall, black figure appeared in the smoke filled airlock, wearing a mask hung over his head like a hood. Obi Wan stared in horror, taking in the medical equipment displayed on the creature’s chest, and the hideous sound of the respirator.

“Anakin?” The Jedi Master’s voice was hesitant. He didn't really want the answer

“You killed Anakin Skywalker,” Obi Wan’s old student responded, his voice twisted beyond all recognition. “I am Darth Vader. Now, you will die, old friend.”

“You have given into the Dark Side. You killed Anakin Skywalker, not me. As long as I draw breath, I will not let you take this ship.” As he spoke, loud footsteps echoed off the walls of the corridor behind him, and as he turned, he was greeted by the sight of more ARC troopers, two holding the twins, another pair holding C-3PO and R2-D2 at gunpoint. His shoulders slumped and his knees gave out, overcome by despair.

Vader started at the sight of the children, calling to the trooper captain, “The infants. . .?”

“Children of the late Senator Amidala, sir!” The trooper called. “We found them with the secondary targets and Senator Organa attempting to board an escape pod!” His next words were drowned out by Vader’s wordless scream of rage, seizing Obi Wan with the Force and hurling him against the far wall.

“YOU WOULD KEEP MY CHILDREN FROM ME!” He ignited his new, crimson lightsaber, and struck at his former master. There was a collective gasp from the guards, and C-3PO short-circuited, collapsing against the trooper behind him, as Obi-Wan Kenobi’s bearded head dropped to the floor, its azure eyes staring at nothing, its face twisted into a look of pure grief. “KILL THE TRAITORS!” Vader bellowed, and the troopers began firing, killing the horror-stricken guards without a fight. Vader took his children from the troopers who held them, cradling one in each arm, and marched back through the airlock, disappearing into the shadows and smoke.


	2. 20 Years Later...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the twins' twentieth birthday, and Vader has gifts for both of his children, who have grown into powerful young Sith.

The pair of lightsaber blades locked, sizzling and sparking as they slid and strained against each other. Just as  quickly, they were drawn back and locked again, a dance of crimson. The room was dimly lit, silent except for grunts of exertion and the quiet hum of machinery. The duelers wore loose, dark tunics, which allowed for a free range of motion as they fought, lightsabers clashing and spitting sparks. One of the duelists was a young man with dirty blonde hair, cropped close to his scalp. His eyes glowed a dull yellow, and his teeth gritted with effort as he fought. Only the speed and raw unpredictability of his opponent, a young woman with long, dark brown hair, matched his reserve and skill. Her locks hung limply, saturated with sweat from the labor of the bout. She was lightning fast, her blade a blur of scarlet, and she switched fighting styles seemingly at random, switching hands, blocking and dodging, defense and offense, or a combination of both. It took all of the man’s concentration to defend against her, and though her technique was often sloppy, she kept her own through sheer force of will. Her expression was gleeful, manic even. She giggled girlishly with every stroke, at the perfect match that allowed neither of them to gain any ground. Suddenly, the bout was interrupted by a deep voice, resonating against the walls.

“Darth Manaeus, Darth Austereus, report to Hangar Bay 11-38 immediately.” The pair immediately stopped dueling, raising their blades vertically in a sign of salute. After the weapons were deactivated, the room’s lighting brightened to an emotionless fluorescence.

“I’ll beat you someday, Austereus,” the woman teased, her scarlet eyes glittering with mirth.

“It doesn’t matter which of us wins a bout, as long as both of us grow stronger. Don’t forget the purpose of training, Manaeus,” The man strode to the edge of the ring they had fought within, a large circle inscribed into the floor and rimmed with small lights. Bending down, he donned a dark cloak made from a thick, but light mesh. He fastened it around his throat and pulled the cowl down over his face, leaving his eyes in shadow. Then he pulled a mask from one of the cloak’s hidden pockets. It covered his entire face, with small holes for his glittering yellow eyes. It was simply decorated, glimmering wetly in the light, as if it was a shattered piece of a dark ocean. The mouth of the mask was turned down in an expression of anguish, outlined with a sickly light the same color as the Sith’s eyes. He turned to see that his companion had done the same, though her mask wore an insane grin, and was defined by crimson lights. Together, naturally falling into a simultaneous stride, they left the room, transformed from a young man and woman to a pair of lurking horrors, terrible and unfathomable.

The hangar doors hissed with hydraulic force as Darth Manaeus and Darth Austereus entered the hangar bay. The hangar was empty except for a pair of droids, a new ship, and a familiar dark figure. Seeing this, the pair of Sith removed their masks and cowls and walked to where the man stood beside the ship. The cruiser was large, thin in the front, and broadening in the back to make room for the engines. The bridge was cylindrical, mounted at the very front of the ship. It looked freshly painted, a deep black that would help hide it in the darkness of space. It bristled with intimidating weaponry, turbolaser cannons and missile tubes.

“A Corellian Corvette,” Austerus remarked. “It’s undergone a great deal of modification. Why do you have it, Father?”

A deep chuckle emanated from the helmeted figure before them.

“Always quick to the point, Luke. This ship’s purpose, is to serve as your sister’s birthday present. What do you think of it, Leia?” Vader’s daughter giggled and clapped her hands excitedly.

“It’s amazing, that’s what I think! What can it do?”

“Well, among other things, it’s been modified so that it only requires a single pilot, meaning that you won’t have to deal with a large crew. I have arranged a visit to the Imperial academy on Carida, so that you can find a pilot that suits you. It also has extremely heavy firepower and is equipped with a cloaking device. But this ship has far more than technological value. Its former title was Tantive IV. It was the ship I rescued you two from.” At this announcement the pair started, staring up at the vessel in amazement. 

“You mean, this is the vessel that belonged to Bail Organa, where you killed Obi-Wan Kenobi?” Leia’s mouth was open, her crimson eyes shining with awe.

“The very same,” Luke felt the familiar swell of pride his father felt every time one of his children was pleased. And it’s all yours, my dear. For you Luke, the gift is perhaps less dramatic, but no less meaningful. Threepio! Artoo! Come forward!” The pair of droids moved forward respectfully.

“Hello, I am C-3PO, Human-Cyborg Relations, and this is my counterpart, R2-D2,” The taller droid spoke. It was an old protocol droid, plated with a gold alloy and holding its arms slightly bent. It had an apologetic, yet somehow pompous demeanor, and its glowing eyes seemed somehow familiar to Luke. The smaller droid, an astromech unit, beeped an affirmative, lights flashing on its blue and white domed head.

“These two are old family friends Luke,” said Vader, seemingly disheartened at his son’s icy expression. It was clear  he had hoped to elicit some kind of response from Luke, but he was not going to be successful. “I built Threepio while I was a boy, and Artoo served on my starfighter for many years during the Clone Wars.”

“Clone Wars” Luke’s amber eyes narrowed. “Does that mean that they served you as a Jedi? How do you know they can be trusted?”

“If I may interject sir,” C-3PO broke in hurriedly. “Artoo and I have both been thoroughly reprogrammed, and equipped with all manner of technology to assist you, such as a full assortment of weaponry and a long range communications device. Also as part of my old protocol programming, I am fluent in over six million forms of communication, and can--”

“Fine,” Luke interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. “They’ll do. Thank you Father. If you don’t mind, I’m going to the bridge to get a status report.” He turned to leave, lifting his mask to his face.

“Luke!” Vader called, his voice hardening to its normal, threatening tone. “You will be attending Leia on her visit to Carida. I don’t want you two to be separated, in case there is a mission that comes up. So if you’re planning to leave us, I suggest you forego the status report, and begin preparations for your journey.”

“Fine.” Luke’s face was obscured by his mask once more, and his voice was hollow-sounding. “Droids, with me.” He strode out of the empty hangar, his footsteps echoing off the walls. Threepio and Artoo paused, then followed the young man. Once he was gone, Vader’s shoulders slumped.

“I had hoped that I could get some kind of response from him,” he confessed.

“Don’t worry Dad,” Leia smiled, a gesture more intimidating than sweet. “Luke’s just grumpy. Actually, he’s always grumpy. He’ll cheer up once he realizes that he doesn’t need the permanent frown.”

“Yes. I’m sure you’re right.” Vader didn’t sound confident, but he straightened, and Leia sensed his resolve solidify once more.

“Do we have access to the Caridan troop files? I want to narrow my list down to a couple of candidates by the time I reach Carida.”

“Oh, yes. They should be in the ship’s database. You can access them there. By the way, I didn’t mention that you can re-christen the ship if you want. I doubted you’d want to keep the Tantive IV, so the logs will be blank until you decide.”

“You know?” Leia smiled. “I think I have the perfect name for her. The Perilous Hawk!”


	3. I've Got a Bad...(Well, You Know the Rest)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins arrive at the Caridan TIE Pilot Academy to secure a pilot for the Perilous Hawk

Luke and Leia both stared at the viewpoint as the ship came out of hyperspace, the stars shrinking back into mere pinpricks of light. Before them, the pale yellow planet of Carida stretched out before them. The Imperial world was the perfect place to train recruits, for several reasons. It was near the Core, only a couple hundred light-years from Coruscant, meaning it was free from the majority of Rebel influence. It boasted a great deal of variety in both climate and topography, meaning that simulations could be performed in almost any environment. Its atmosphere was slightly thinner than what was optimal for humans, meaning that physical exertion took more energy and endurance from recruits, meaning that they could be ready for combat more quickly. Perhaps the most important reason Carida was so perfect was its nearby asteroid belt, where pilots could train. The best TIE pilots came from Carida. Leia had narrowed her search to the most skilled pilots, all of which were members of the elite TIE Interceptor training academy. That was the Perilous Hawk’s destination, a bright crimson prism hanging like a jewel amid the flotsam and jetsam of the asteroid field. The academy was made up of a single, cylindrical shaft, with other, smaller cylinders branching off. Massive hangar bays hung like fruit from these branches. Most awe-inspiring was the series of hovering shield emitters, spheres covered in spiky protrusions that glowed with an eerie red light. They formed a diamond of scarlet energy that pulsated, protecting the academy from the asteroids. Every once in a while, a hunk of rock would collide with the field, causing it to flare brightly as the asteroid bounced off, sizzling where it had struck. The other TIE training academies were positioned at a safe distance from the belt, but the director of the elite Interceptor Training Facility had chosen to position his school amid the asteroid field, affirming the brazen nature of the academy. The TIE Interceptor, a ship constructed of a spherical cockpit and long, pointed wings, was far faster, and subsequently far more difficult to control than the typical TIE Fighter model. This meant that Interceptor pilots were held to a much higher standard than any other pilots in the Imperial fleet.  
As they reached the outskirts of the asteroid belt, the twin Sith found themselves in the odd position of requesting admission to the academy. Usually, they simply arrived and ordered a space in a hangar bay, but no one reached the TIE Interceptor Training Facility without requesting permission. It was simply too dangerous to enter the asteroid field unannounced and wait for the deflector shields to be taken offline. The pair were given a set of coordinates and a flight path, and as they approached their destination, they witnessed a demonstration of the facilities defenses. As they entered the asteroid belt, mechanized turbolaser cannons fired at all nearby asteroids, blasting them either away from the Perilous Hawk or into small enough pieces that they could be shrugged off by the vessel’s deflector shields. Still, C-3PO could be heard wailing from the other room, and Leia winced as they heard loud thuds ricocheting off the hull  
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” she muttered.  
“This is an Imperial facility, and that blaster fire is what is keeping us alive right now,” Luke chided.  
“Still.” Leia’s brow furrowed. “No good mission starts with being shot at.”  
“You rely too much on your instincts.”  
“And you don’t rely on them enough.”  
“What are you talking about?” Luke turned to face her. “I can sense a great deal of anger coming from you”  
Leia locked eyes with her brother, crimson to yellow, her face flushed. “You couldn’t have at least pretended to be happy about our gifts? Father went to a lot of effort preparing them.”  
“So that’s what this is about?” Luke looked amused. “It’s quite simple. I don’t see the point in humoring Father when he knows that eventually we will try to defeat him. It’s the Sith way. You can’t tell me you haven’t considered it at all.”  
Leia shrugged, the tension relaxing from her shoulders. “Of course, but I came to a very different conclusion.”  
“Which is?”  
“We are in the unique position of being both Vader’s killers, and his only weakness. By playing along and building even more affection and trust, we make it easier and easier to eventually eliminate him.”  
Luke was taken aback. “I hadn’t thought of that.”  
“Of course not. You never do. You always consider weaponry, shields, attacks, and retreats, every strategy available. The only variable you always overlook is the human one. Your reliance on tactics is your weakness!”  
“And your faith in emotion is yours, sister.” Luke’s voice was cold and disdainful. “You think that as long as you have the willpower, you can overcome any obstacle. Brute force won’t get you out of every situation.”  
It was Leia’s turn to look shocked, but the expression soon subsided into high-pitched giggles. “Perhaps this is why we complement each other so well, brother.”  
Luke conceded the dispute with a small nod. “Perhaps. It looks like we are about to enter the barrier. I am curious to see how they release the shields without admitting asteroids. As they approached the barrier, which pulsed with a danger-laden hum, four of the small shield projectors came to life, small thrusters powering up. They converged in a small rectangle in front of the Perilous Hawk, and as one, stuck one of their long protrusions through the shield barrier. There was a loud hiss, and the projector’s thrusters reactivated, hovering away from each other and taking the barrier with them. When they stopped, there was a large, rectangular hole in the shields, just large enough to admit the Hawk. The corvette floated silently through the entrance, and the projectors rejoined, closing the barrier before returning to their original positions.  
At that moment, C-3PO opened the hatch to the bridge, the door sliding open with a loud hiss  
“Just what was that noise earlier? Are we under attack? I simply hate space travel!” Then he glanced at the viewport and saw the TIE facility hanging before them. “Oh. We’ve arrived. I suppose I should help Artoo make the final preparations for our landing. Well, goodbye.” He clunked out of the room again. The twins stared at each other for a moment then both began laughing uncontrollably. It took several moments for them to calm themselves down.  
“Perhaps,” Luke said, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. “This mission will be more entertaining than I thought.” The pair stared up at the looming Interceptor Facility, ready to face whatever awaited them.


	4. A Wretched Hive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rebels Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles, along with tagalong smuggler Lando Calrissian, try to find their way off an Empire-occupied planet.

“Oof!” Lando Calrissian landed heavily, falling from the top of the steps into the dirty street below.   
“Careful with the cloak, it’s nexu fur,” He mumbled groggily, stars dancing in front of his eyes.  
“Statement: After we’re done with you, Calrissian, you’ll have more to worry about than your clothes,” The voice was empty and mechanical, cold and merciless. Looking up, Lando spotted the source of this chilling voice. A droid, humanoid in anatomy, with a thin, cylindrical head dotted with all manner of sensor equipment, stood above him. It carried all manner of weapons; a dagger strapped to its leg, a pistol and rifle both magnetically clamped to its metal body, hands strong enough to crush duracrete.  
“IG-87, nice to see you! I know that I haven’t paid you back for that little, ah, venture on Ryloth, but I’m close to making a sizable sum, so I’m sure we can--” A strong, clawed foot caught him savagely in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him instantly and flipping him over, he gasped and coughed, desperate for breath.  
“He’sssss not the only one you owe money to, bantha fodder,” This voice was low and sibilant. Lando recognized this one without even having to look. He knew the green, reptilian visage that would greet him, probably still wearing that stained yellow flight suit.  
“Bossk! Nice to see you, buddy! I didn’t know you...you know...made it out of that crashing freighter orbiting Kashyyyk.” The normally suave smuggler was looking slightly sick.  
“I wouldn’t have been on that freighter if you hadn’t ssstolen the lassst esssscape pod!” Bossk snarled.  
“Interjection: We are going to get what we are owed, smuggler.”  
“I know that I owe both you guys some money, but I don’t have it with me right now, so if you let me go--”  
“Interjection: We don’t want your money. Clarification: We are going to terminate you.” IG-87 seized his pistol from here it was clamped to his waist, but before he could aim it at the smuggler, two other figures, both dressed in orange and white flight suits, stepped out of the shadows and leveled their blasters at the pair of bounty hunters.  
“I’m afraid we need the assistance of Mr. Calrissian at the moment, so if you wouldn’t mind stepping away, I’m sure we can leave this before we do anything we’ll regret,” Wedge Antilles, pilot of the Rebel Alliance, smiled smugly at the droid, the upper half of his face concealed by a large cap.  
“Interrogative: Who are you?”  
“Nobody important. I just have my own business with Calrissian. Business that requires he be alive to deliver.” Wedge adjusted his cap so it shadowed his face a little better.  
“Suggestion: Find someone more reliable. Order: Bossk, we will leave this for another time.”  
“I don’t think sssso,” Bossk looked disgustedly at Wedge and his companion, who had his blaster at the Trandoshan’s head. “I came here for Calrissian, and I never leave without my prey.”   
“Clarification:” IG-87 aimed his blaster at his fellow bounty hunter before Wedge could react. “That was not a suggestion.” Bossk snarled in anger and tensed, preparing to strike, but at the last moment seemed to think better of challenging the black droid.  
“Fine. Watch your back, Calrissian…” The pair clunked back into the bar, followed by the eyes of the two Rebels.  
“Did you really have to wait that long before intervening?!” Lando picked himself up, knocking dust from his clothes. One leg of his trousers was soaked through from landing in a puddle. “I was in serious danger!”  
“Sorry,” The second pilot lowered his blaster and stepped fully out of the shadows. He had black hair and boasted a full handlebar moustache. “Captain wanted to make a dramatic entrance.” Biggs Darklighter winked at the smuggler, who returned the gesture with a scowl.  
“Besides Calrissian,” Wedge interrupted. “Didn’t you say that you would be perfectly fine trying to get us a ride offworld by yourself? What were your exact words?”  
“I believe he said he was a ‘people-person’, Captain Antilles,” Biggs answered, barely holding back sniggers. Soon both of the Rebel pilots were wheezing and holding their sides, while Lando stared sullenly at the pair.  
“Very funny bunch, you are. Real comedians. See if you’re still laughing after you learn about my news. From the latest transmissions, There’s an Imperial blockade around this rock. All ships are getting orders to stay grounded until they’ve apprehended a ‘group of dangerous insurgents who have stolen valuable Imperial data’.” That announcement killed the mood quickly. The Rebels straightened and exchanged glances.  
“I see. Then we only have one choice. Take our X-wings and blast through that blockade as soon as possible. The blockade is still forming, so the sooner we move, the more likely we’ll find a gap in the defenses.”  
“That’s suicide, Antilles!” Lando exclaimed. “That’s an Imperial blockade. They don’t leave weak points.”  
“Do you have a better plan? No one’s going to be foolhardy enough to try to take off, so we can’t get any ships, and the Imperial sweeps of the planet aren’t going to give up until they find us!”  
“So you’d rather just fly wildly at those Star Destroyers and hope we get lucky?”  
“That’s the only option we’ve got, Calrissian! We’ve got to get these plans to the Rebel base!”  
“Actually, we might have another way,” Biggs interjected. His companions looked at him in surprise. Biggs rarely weighed in on tactical decisions. He preferred to have faith in the people in charge. “Where’s the nearest Imperial base?”  
“About a hundred and fifty kilometers from here, why?”  
“Will they have TIE fighters?” It took a moment for Biggs’ plan to dawn on them, but as it did, Lando started laughing and Wedge clapped his wingman on the back.  
“Nice thinking, Biggs! Where’s the nearest speeder rental?”

***  
Soon the Rebels had managed to obtain three speeder bikes and were speeding off towards across the arid plains as the black night sky began to give way to the gray of the oncoming dawn. The landscape was dry and craggy, with patches of yellow grass dotting the ground here and there. Massive rock formations jutted from the ground like the fists of giants, and herds of strange, greenish creatures roamed, feeding on the grasses and the small, stunted trees that dotted the plains.  
After a short ride, the trio had reached the Imperial base, which sat at the bottom of a deep valley. They crawled to the edge of a cliff overlooking the base, pulling out macrobinoculars to take preliminary surveillance. The ground was hard, and a stone dug into Wedge’s side, but he dared not move to adjust it, for fear of alerting any Imperial motion sensors to his position. The base was made up of a large gray building built into the auburn rock. It was lined with windows made of a dark glass that revealed none of what transpired within its sterile, durasteel walls. Outside the room, the land had been flattened to make room for several landing pads. A long-range sensor dish also stood on the ground, humming loudly. A number of TIE fighters were being refueled, but Wedge disregarded them immediately. TIE’s didn’t have hyperdrives, meaning that they would be useless for an escape attempt. The only other ship was a Lambda-class Imperial shuttle. The ships were slow, bulky, and had little in the way of weaponry, but they were designed to carry important personnel, which meant they had heavy shielding. That, combined with its hyperdrive, made it Wedge’s target. With a slow gesture, he signaled to the other Rebels to back away from the cliff edge. Once they were a safe distance away, Wedge rose to his feet.  
“It looks our target is gonna have to be that shuttle, but It’ll be difficult to get down to it without being detected.”  
“I spotted sensors all down the sides of the canyon, boss,” Biggs interjected. “There’s no way we can climb down without getting welcomed in by some blaster fire.”  
“How are we supposed to get down there then? It's not like we can fly!” Lando looked frustrated. “We came here for nothing!”  
“Hold on,” Wedge looked thoughtful. “Biggs, what was the range of those sensors?”  
“Judging by the antenna, I’d say that the walls of the canyons are completely covered, but there’s an open space right in the middle, where the ships fly through so they don’t trigger the alarms.”  
“So, if we could fly a speeder through that space, we could get the drop on those Imps?”  
“That won’t work, the speeders’ repulsorlifts aren’t anywhere strong enough to stop you from smashing into that landing pad!” Lando was incredulous.  
“Sure” Wedge grinned and pointed his thumb at the speeders. “But if we hook all of those repulsorlifts together, they should be strong enough to hold one of us. If I head down, I can hide the bike behind one of the TIEs, infiltrate that facility and shut off the sensors, so that you can climb down and help me steal the shuttle.”  
“That’s insane--!” Lando began, but Biggs, whose face had turned a light shade of pink, interrupted him.  
“Look smuggler, you’ve been very vocal with your opinions, but remember your place. You’re just here because we needed your contact on Scarif. Now that we have the plans, I don’t even know why you’re still here. We expected you to bolt at the first opportunity! So if you’re going to survive this, just shut up and let us do what we do.”  
Lando’s shoulders slumped. “Fine. But don’t blame me at the firing squad.”


	5. 3720:1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins begin their search for a pilot.

Leia yawned, a strange sound from behind her mask, and lolled back onto the couch she sat on, while Luke leaned against the opposite wall, staring at the TIE Interceptor training field. After arriving, they had been met by a young officer who escorted them to a lounge where they could view the training ground. It was comfortable enough, but Luke had been irritated to see that the director himself had not met them. The training field was a patch of asteroids that had been corralled inside a series of gravitational wells, similar to those on the hyperspace-disrupting variety used by Interdictor-class Star Destroyers, which held the asteroids inside the training field. Inside, the space rocks were allowed to float aimlessly, meaning that no race of the field was ever the same. The field had a high injury rate, though actual casualties were rare, due to the series of medical ships that stood at the ready to activate the gravity wells’ emergency function, which would manipulate the boulders well out of the way so that the pilot could be extracted.  
Leia had developed a list of the best pilots in the academy, cross-referencing them with psychological reports and transcripts to find an ideal candidate, but as she watched all of them fly a practice run through the asteroid belt, she had grown increasingly bored, her eyes glazing over.  
“They all fly exactly the same way, it’s like watching a bunch of robots,” she complained. Luke didn’t understand his sister’s desire to find just the right person for the job. The purpose for this academy was to create a series of interchangeable pilots of equal skills, not to hone individualism. They had just seen the last of the pilots that Leia had chosen, and they were no closer to finding a captain for the Perilous Hawk. Luke turned to the hatch, looking to find a computer terminal where he could pull up another list of candidates for his sister, when heard Leia gasp and giggle excitedly.  
“Who is that?” She stared gleefully. Looking back at the viewport, Luke noticed with some surprise that one of the pilots from the formations that flew regularly through another training belt had broken free of their group and entered the individual training ground, weaving through the free-floating asteroids between them. The mysterious pilot swerved and corkscrewed, flying in a completely different and unique style than the other pilots they had seen. Leia stared, enraptured by this amazing feat of piloting skill. At times the nimble Interceptor rolled alongside an asteroid, mere feet from its craggy surface, at other times it would spiral through two that were about to collide, looping and twisting until almost any normal pilot would have lost all sense of direction.  
“Luke, find out who that pilot is. I want them,” his sister said, never taking her eyes from the viewport. Luke was always a little irked when his sister ordered him around like this, but it would be easier to simply do as she asked then start an argument, especially when she was distracted like this. He left the hatch and told a nearby officer to find the pilot that had decided to show off for the two Sith. The private looked confused, but he left to report the information. When he returned he escorted the masked twins to a hangar bay, where the TIE Interceptor they had seen was landing. The director of the facility, Moff Yorin, stood in the hangar bay, his face suffused with red. The director was a heavyset man, with large jowls that seemed like they belonged on a bulldog. His thinning hair was gray and wild, as if he had run to the hangar, and judging by the sweat streaming down his face and his ragged, gasping breaths, Luke guessed he had done just that.  
“PRIVATE, THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!” He bellowed as the pilot climbed out of his Interceptor and removed his helmet. He had a handsome face, dark hair cropped short, and a cocky smile.  
“YOU SCRUFFY-LOOKING NERF HERDER, HOW DARE YOU SMILE AT ME! I HAVE BEEN MORE THAN GENEROUS WITH YOU, BUT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! YOU WILL BE EXPELLED IMMEDIATELY, GO PACK YOUR BA--” He was cut off by an off-handed shove from Leia as she charged at the pilot. Seeing her coming, he lost his balance and toppled to the ground. He had barely made it to his knees when Leia was upon him.   
Looking back, she saw Yorin struggling to get to his feet. She shrugged. She had wanted to meet this exemplary pilot, and the moff had seemed like he was going to keep ranting for a while. She took her mask and cast it to the ground beside her. The pilot seemed to relax a little when he saw she was a woman. Idiot, she thought. She seized his ears in both hands and dragged him so that their faces were inches apart. She smiled dangerously, a predatory grin that stretched from ear to ear.  
“What’s your name, pilot?” Her voice was calm, but the pain contorting the pilot’s features belied her serenity.  
“P-private Han Solo, ma’am,” He responded, his voice cracking with fear.  
“You flew exceptionally well, Han. I like exceptional people. How would you like to serve as my personal pilot? It's not like you have much of a future left around here.” His eyes widened, and he nodded vigorously, wincing when the motion wrenched his ears. “Wonderful! That’s simply wonderful!” She released the pilot and with a quick gesture of her arm, summoned her mask from where it lay on the ground, slipping it onto her face before she turned so that no one but Han would see her face.  
“This pilot will do perfectly for me, director. Prepare my ship to depart. Any other business to attend to here, Austereus?”  
“None, Manaeus. But are you quite sure that this is the pilot you desire? He seems a reckless scoundrel.” Luke’s voice was cold.  
Leia looked up, her voice teasing behind the mask. “I need more scoundrels in my life. How else am I going to have any fun?” Behind the twins, Moff Yorin got to his feet, sputtering and positively glowing with rage as the pair ignored him.  
“THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I AM LETTING THIS MISCREANT GET ON BOARD A SHUTTLE WITH YOU AND ESCAPE PUNISHMENT YOU DISRESPECTFUL WHEL—“ The moff’s shouts were cut off and replaced by gagging sounds, as he was caught in the cold gazes of both siblings. He clutched at his throat, and slowly toppled back to the ground, where the pressure on his throat released.  
“Now, I think it’s time for you to get acquainted with the Perilous Hawk, Captain Solo. Shall we go?” Leia rose to her feet, and taking Han by the hand, stepped out of the hangar, taking special care to trod on Yorin’s fingers, ignoring his strangled yelps. Luke followed, but only after glancing disdainfully at the pathetic man writhing on the floor.  
“Ridiculous fool,” the young Sith spat, before following his sister.


	6. Scum and Villainy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rebels put their plan to steal an Imperial ship into action

After several minutes of grunts and muffled curses, Biggs squirmed out from underneath the speeder, having attached the other two repulsorlift engines to either side. The workmanship was makeshift at best, but it was the best that the Rebel pilot could come up with in a hurry.  
“Well, that’s that,” he said, wiping his greasy hands on his trousers.   
“Then I guess I’d better get going,” Wedge answered, staring at the construction dubiously. Biggs couldn’t blame him. While the repulsorlifts were connected to the speeder’s power lines, it didn’t change the fact that the vehicle was only meant to carry one repulsorlift. This meant that Biggs had had to use a haphazard mix of tape and prayer to keep the extra parts from falling off mid-flight. That, paired with the fact that Biggs had had to remove some of the less necessary components to reduce weight, including the seat, made the vehicle look very rough indeed.  
Biggs put his hand on his commander’s shoulder, smiling encouragingly.  
“It’ll hold. Nothing I build ever doesn’t” He bragged.   
Wedge chuckled. “Maybe we should get you building our starfighters, then. God knows we could use them.” The captain got onboard the modified speeder, clinging to the handlebars and keeping his legs tightly clenched to the vehicles sides. Turning towards the chasm, Wedge waved goodbye to his comrades. Biggs waved back, but Lando did nothing but stare sullenly at him, still pouting after Biggs’ scolding. With that impromptu farewell, Wedge roared the engines to life and sped towards the canyon.  
As the wind roared through Wedge’s short, brown hair, the pilot gauged his speed carefully. Go too slow, and the sensors on the nearest side of the canyon would detect him. Too fast, and he’d smash right into the far wall. Squeezing the accelerator, he built up speed. He kept going, until he got a feeling, a sense that he was going exactly the right speed. At that moment, he cut the accelerator, and soared off the edge. He hung in the air for a moment, then slowly, inexorably began to fall. Wedge turned away from the far wall of the canyon, angling the speeder to land behind a TIE fighter as he directed all power to the repulsorlifts. The engines glowed a bright blue, and his fall became considerably slower, a gentle float in complete silence. It seemed an eternity before he finally reached the Imperial base, cutting the repulsorlifts slowly to insure a smooth and quiet landing. Wedge was an incredibly skilled pilot; had been so ever since he had learned to fly. He preferred starfighters, but he had spent his fair amount of time in speeder and swoop races, back on his homeworld, the smuggler’s planet Corellia.   
After deactivating the speeder, Wedge dismounted and pulled his blaster from his holster. Peering around the wing of the TIE fighter, He saw a stormtrooper patrol, heading back into the facility. They left one man to watch the door, standing to attention in his bone-white armor. Wedge grinned. Bingo. Picking up a small stone, Wedge carefully tossed it slightly in front of the wing, making a small clatter. The stormtrooper turned and walked over to investigate the noise, only to be seized around the throat by Wedge’s vice-like grip. The stormtrooper struggled briefly, then succumbed, leaving Wedge to drag his body back behind the TIE’s wing. After stripping the body of its armor, Wedge stared down at the lifeless face. It was a young man, with dark skin and short, curly, black hair. Wedge stared down at the corpse impassively. This was not the first time he had taken another’s life. It would not be the last. Still, it pained him to do what he did. He had never wanted this war. But he could not sit back and watch the Empire commit atrocity after atrocity either. If bringing peace to the galaxy meant killing, then that was what Wedge was going to do. Turning away from the young man, Wedge pulled on the armor and walked out from behind the TIE, crossed to the shuttle and used the trooper's key card to lower the ship's ramp. Unfortunately, he heard the hiss of the door opening as he was striding up the ramp.  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing, trooper?" Wedge sighed. He'd hoped he wouldn't have to fight his way out. He took a deep breath, then leapt into motion. He had turned in one moment. Another and he had drawn his blaster. An angry Imperial officer was flanked on both sides by stormtroopers. Wedge fired, taking one of the troopers by surprise before ducking into the ship. He retracted the ramp, trying to ignore the thumps of blaster fire on the ship's hull. Seating himself in the pilot's seat, he started up the thrusters and without waiting for any of the normal checkup routines, took off, soaring out of the canyon. The alarms all went off as he hovered where Biggs and Lando were waiting and lowered the ramp. Once he heard them jump aboard, Wedge soared off into the sky, jamming the frequencies of the Imperial base so they couldn't contact the blockade. Soon the sky deepened from a deep blue to black, dotted with white pinpricks, and Wedge spotted the network of Star Destroyers that formed an impassable barrier off-world. The shuttle was instantly contacted by one of the massive, angular cruisers.  
"Shuttle Leda, this is the Star Destroyer Menace. What has happened down at your base? The alarm was detected, but we have been unable to get in contact with the overseer, over."  
"Uh, this is Shuttle Leda. We hear your transmission, Menace. There is currently an attack in progress at the, um, base. A group of Rebels have jammed transmissions and are, uh, currently attempting to steal a ship. With the important personnel this ship is carrying, we thought it prudent to take off and uh, maintain a safe distance from the violence, over."  
"Understood Leda, would you like to be taken aboard, over?"  
Wedge winced. "Negative commander, we have orders to leave the system immediately. If you could just let us through we'd be much obliged, over."  
"Understood, just transmit your clearance codes and we'll let you be on your way, over." With trembling fingers, Wedge punched in the codes he found in the shuttle's database. After a long pause, the authorization light clicked green, and an opening appeared in the blockade, as patrolling TIE's made a clear path for the shuttle. Lando breathed an audible sigh of relief and Biggs started calculating the jump to hyperspace. Wedge did his best to fly the craft as calmly as possible.   
They were almost through the blockade when misfortune struck. Lando, who had taken out a flask from his cloak to soothe his nerves, was jolted by a bit of turbulence and lurched forward, spilling his drink onto the communications panel. It sparked and smoked, and instantly, their jamming signal died. Instantly the comms were buzzing with a message from the Imperial base.  
"This is Commander Kreta, the Imperial shuttle leaving orbit is a stolen craft, we believe that the fugitive Rebels are aboard, do not allow it to leave the system. I repeat, this is Commander Kreta--" Instantly Wedge opened the throttle as far as it would go, the engines of the craft sending them hurtling through the small gap made by the TIE fighters. They swerved after them, bolts of green energy rocketing through the blackness of space. Several hit the ship, sending loud tremors creaking through the shuttle, but the shields held, and Wedge initiated a series of basic maneuvers, mindful not to push the bulky ship beyond its limits. Too sharp a turn and they could lose a wing, and that would be fatal.  
"Biggs! How close are we to hyperspace?"  
Biggs frantically punched numbers into the console. "Just a few more calculations captain, just hang on for a couple seconds!"  
Lando stood, looking nervously at the pair, working in unison. "Is there, uh, anything I can do?" He asked hesitantly.  
"No!" The Rebels' angry shouts were simultaneous. Lando sank meekly back into his seat as Wedge pulled the craft in wide swerves and slow spirals. Shield levels were dropping fast, and as Biggs continued to make adjustments, sweat dripping down his brow, Wedge cursed softly.   
Suddenly, after a well-placed volley, the shuttle's shields winked out, and a loud thump symbolized a laser impacting against the bulkhead. Wedge realized with a sickening feeling that they were aiming for the hyperdrive.  
"Biggs!" The Rebel pilot pulled the shuttle into even riskier maneuvers, desperate to keep their hyperdrive online. With no answer, he glanced for a moment at his copilot, who was still intently focused on the console before him. Another impact against the shuttle's hull and sparks flew from a panel above them, spraying across the cockpit.   
At the same moment Biggs punched in a final command and screamed, "Go!" Wedge yanked down on a small lever and watched with considerable relief as the stars turned from faint pinpricks to bright streamers, and eventually faded to the shimmering blue vortex of hyperspace. Wedge sank back into his seat, exhaling deeply. They had escaped.


	7. Dust Ball or Mud Hole?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins, along with their new pilot, receive a new mission.

The newly formed Imperial trio left the TIE Interceptor Facility shortly after the incident with Moff Yorin. The liberated pilot, who told them to call him Han, took them outside the energy field, which again opened and entrance for them. Luke was surprised that the Moff had let them go so easily, but when he looked at Leia through her mask, she turned back and spoke.  
"If he didn't open the shields, we'd have had nowhere to go but straight back to him." Her voice sounded gleeful, and she giggled. Luke nodded curtly, then turned away.  
"I'm going to check the communications array for any new missions," he said, turning away from the cockpit, where the pilot had just taken the Hawk out of the asteroid belt. He turned back to Luke, his glossy dark hair bouncing gently.  
"Hold on, I never caught your name!" He shot a charming smile at Leia. "Yours, either."  
"I am Darth Austereu--" Luke tried to say, only to be cut off by his sister.  
"Oh please, he's our personal pilot, he might as well know who we are." Leia punched him gently in the arm. "After all, I don't plan on wearing my mask all the time in here, too." She turned back to Han, slipping off her mask and lowering her hood. Her pale face was flushed from wearing the visor for too long, and her hair was slightly disheveled. "My name is Leia, and this is Luke." After a pointed look, he removed his mask too, revealing his scowling face.  
Han grinned. "Nice to see that both of you are human under those masks."  
"We're not." Luke turned back to the door, clutching his mask in one hand.  
"Not what?" Han sounded confused.  
"Not human." Luke turned back, and for the first time since he had met the pilot, a trace of a smile crossed his face. "We're something considerably more."  
"Yeah, okay then," he heard Han mutter. Luke ignored him and left the cockpit, quickly crossing to the comm room. It was dimly lit, with a large, circular holo-table in the middle for displaying communications. Luke typed in a command to pull up the newest communications and sifted through the number of mundane diagnostics that usually flooded the array. After a moment, Leia entered the room, leaning against the wall with a disapproving look on her face.  
"You could at least try to be friendly, you know," she said.  
"What?"  
"Luke, he's our pilot. We might as well at least try to be on good terms. Your life might depend on it someday."  
Luke turned, the blue light of the holo-table sending deep shadows over his face. "Father never has to worry about relationships. Why should we?"  
His sister laughed. "Father can also eliminate an entire Rebel base singlehandedly."  
Despite himself, Luke chuckled a little. "That is true." Leia smiled and crossed over to her brother, leaning up so that she could kiss him on the cheek.  
"That's the Luke I like to see." Luke smiled and opened his mouth to respond right as a small beep from the holo-table grabbed his attention. He turned back, to find an urgent message blinking red. Leia frowned. "That's from Father. Put him through." Luke did, and the tall visage of Darth Vader appeared, flickering blue.  
"Children," He began. "Have you obtained your pilot?"  
"Yes," Luke said. "Though I have my concerns about his--"  
"No matter." Vader cut him off with a hand. "I have an important mission for you two. You know of the Death Star?" Luke nodded. The Empire had been constructing a battle station, one outfitted with a primary weapon powerful enough to destroy an entire planet. "A group of Rebels have stolen the plans from Scarif and are now trying to reach their base. They fooled an Imperial blockade and escaped to hyperspace in a Lambda-class speeder. You two will find them."  
"How?" Luke asked.  
"That's for you to decide. We managed to access the onboard computer shortly before they jumped, and the fraction we picked up directs us to two planets. Either you can split up and establish a presence on both planets, or you can see if you can use the Force to determine where they are and both go."  
"Fine. What are the planets?"  
"The desert planet, Tatooine, and the swamp planet, Dagobah."  
Luke cocked an eyebrow. "Those are very remote locations."  
"Which makes them excellent places for a Rebel base," Leia interjected. She smiled up at Vader. "Thanks for the mission, Father. We've been terribly bored."  
"These missions are not for your pleasure, Leia. The fate of the Empire could rest in your hands." Vader's voice was stern, but Luke could hear the bemusement in it. "Your orders are to begin the mission immediately.  
"Yes, Father," both of the twins bowed their heads. The transmission winked out, leaving them in the dim light of the communications room. Luke stood.  
“Shall I pull up images of the two worlds?” He did so without waiting for a response, two dots on the star map swelling into two large orbs, one a misty green, the other a dull brown.  
Leia considered them for a long moment. “What do you think, Luke?”  
Taking a deep breath, the young man opened himself to the Force, tracing the links of pain and rage on both planets. Both places confused him. One, Dagobah, seemed very strong in the Force. Unusually strong. This might suggest a Jedi lived there, which could certainly be the target of the Rebel traitors. On the other hand, he could feel a sense of convergence on Tatooine. Pulling up the planet’s descriptions, he saw it was a haven for smugglers and all sorts of disreputable denizens of the Outer Rim. It was certainly the more logistical choice of the two. But there was also something else about the desert planet, something that seemed to call to Luke.  
“This is strange,” Leia muttered. “Could there be a Rebel base on both planets?”  
“Unlikely,” Luke gazed at the two, finding his eyes drawn towards the dusty orb hanging in the air before them. “But regardless of where they might be headed, I must visit this Tatooine. I sense something. . .odd, there.”  
“Okay then, you call a Star Destroyer and set up there,” Leia agreed. “I’ll take Solo and the Hawk and head to Dagobah.” She grinned, her bared teeth glinting in the blue-tinged light. “I sense there’s someone in that swamp I want to kill.”


	8. The Homestead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke confronts a fateful pair on Tatooine.

An impassive figure in the bleak landscape, Luke strode purposefully across the desert, staring at the spaceport in the distance. A sandstorm was kicking up, rogue gusts snapping his cloak back and forth, but his mask kept sand and grit out of his eyes and mouth, protecting him from the worst the planet could throw at him. He and his fleet had arrived at Tatooine several hours earlier, and were just now beginning to establish a military presence on the planet. Luke had found himself called out here, into this tiny corner of the desert, and had abandoned his guard patrol to make this trek out into this seemingly uninhabited wasteland. He had just been about to turn back towards Mos Eisley when his keen eyes picked out a small homestead, almost invisible with its round, sand-colored buildings. Staring at a nearby ridge as the twin suns of Tatooine began to sink below the horizon, Luke saw something that made him gasp. A young man in a tan tunic, and white trousers was staring out at the binary sunset. A man who looked terribly familiar. But when Luke blinked, the man was gone. He tossed the image aside with a shake of his head. This was no time to be imagining things. Now nearing the moisture farm, Luke could make out a figure stepping from within, peering warily at him. The Sith pressed onward, confused by the strange, nervous feeling that had built up in his chest. It felt too mundane for a weapon of the Empire, too much like the twenty-year-old who lurked under the mask. Somehow, it felt as though he were treading upon something he wasn’t supposed to find.  
As Luke grew closer to the tiny spot of civilization, he recognized the figure as an older man, who looked to be in his mid sixties. He was stern looking, a grizzled beard covering his chin and face weathered by harsh years in the desert. His hair was more grey than brown now, and he walked heavily, weighed down by those same years.  
“What?” The man’s tone was blunt, bordering on sheer rudeness. Luke frowned behind his mask. Was this such a backwater world that this man couldn’t even recognize an agent of the Empire?  
“My name is Darth—” the Sith paused, then, ruled by a whim, slid his mask from his face. Something in this place conjured up a different title, a different visage. “My name is Luke Skywalker,” he declared. “I’ve come to—” He faltered, as the man’s face completely changed. He’d been a hard man of the desert. Now, in his place, there was only abject terror.  
“Beru!” He called, sounding as though something had lodged in his throat. “Get out here!”  
A small woman with a kind, wrinkled face and short grey hair appeared in the doorway, looking concerned. When she spotted the young man, her face went through the same transformation, becoming a picture of shock. “Luke?” She whispered breathlessly.  
“How do you know my name?” Luke stared at her suspiciously.  
“Says his name’s Skywalker,” the man said gruffly. “You don’t think—?”  
“It has to be,” Beru stepped closer, analyzing Luke’s face. “Oh, Owen, he looks just like—” she cut herself off in the manner of someone who can’t bring themselves to speak the name of a deceased person.  
“Who?” Luke insisted. “Who do I look like?”  
“Like your father, son,” Owen gave him a look full of suspicion, but also with something that seemed almost like hope. “Like Anakin Skywalker.”  
This was an instant warning sign. Anyone who knew the identity of Luke’s father was most likely a Jedi. He seized his lightsaber from his belt, igniting the crimson blade with a sharp hiss and leveling it at the pair. “How do you know that name?” He hissed.  
Beru screamed, Owen stared at him, unfazed. “You gonna kill your aunt and uncle, son?”  
“What?” Though every bone in his body screamed to strike the pair down, Luke found himself deactivating his lightsaber. “That’s not possible. I don’t have any uncles, or aunts.”  
“Weren’t you told?” Beru asked, voice filled with sudden concern. She, too, seemed to have gotten over her initial fear. The idea that these two people knew something about him that drowned out their fear was enough to send a chill down Luke’s spine. “Has anyone ever explained your family to you?”  
Luke almost said yes, but suddenly found doubts crawling through his mind. His father had explained that he had once been known as the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. He had told his children how he had been an only child, and that his mother had died long ago. Vader had never mentioned his own father, and Luke had never asked. He’d never wanted to know. But could he really be certain of anything his father had told him? Darth Vader was, after all, a Sith, first and foremost. It wouldn’t be below him to manipulate the truth to suit his needs.  
His silence seemed to give them answer enough. “Why don’t you come inside?” Beru gave him a warm smile. “We’d be happy to tell you anything we can.”  
Staring warily at the couple, Luke suddenly wanted to get out of this place, to run and never return to this hallow of his past. But at the same time, he knew that there was no way to escape this place. This homestead would haunt him forever now, no matter what he did. “Yes.”  
Sitting down at a round table in the lower part of the homestead, Owen and Beru told Luke the story he’d never heard before. Anakin Skywalker had been a young slave on Tatooine, when a Jedi had found him and taken him for training. They’d been unable to rescue his mother, Shmi, from her bondage, but some years later, she was bought by Owen’s father, Cliegg Lars, who freed and subsequently married Shmi. Owen and Beru had met their step-brother(in-law, in Beru’s case) only once, shortly before the start of the Clone Wars, when he was accompanied by a woman Luke could only assume was his mother. Vader never spoke of her, and Luke could always feel a great pain well up in his father whenever he was reminded of her. Anakin had discovered that his mother, Shmi, had been taken and killed by a murderous local tribe known as the Tusken Raiders, and had recovered her body before departing.  
Luke eyed Beru in confusion. “That doesn’t explain how you knew my name.”  
“Ah,” the woman’s face clouded over. “That.”  
“See, boy, near the end of the Clone Wars,” Owen looked uncomfortable. “We got a message from a Jedi. Called himself, ah, blast, what was it?”  
“Kenobi,” Beru completed. “Obi Wan Kenobi.”  
Luke reeled. He’d heard this story, how his father had intercepted his old master and Senator Bail Organa, trying to escape with Luke and Leia in tow. He’d never heard what they were actually trying to with the infants, probably because his father himself didn’t know.  
“Yes,” Owen continued. “Kenobi. Anyway, he contacted us, asking us to take you. He said people were trying to take, you, that you were the last hope of the Republic. He told us your name then, and asked us to take you, and hide you away. We agreed, but he never arrived on Tatooine.”  
“So,” Luke’s breath had caught in his throat. “You were trying to turn me into a Jedi. Conspiring against the Empire.”  
“No,” Beru said firmly. “We were taking in a member of our family. For this Jedi to have you, we knew your parents must have passed, and we were likely all the family you had left.”  
“Yeah,” Owen snorted drily. “Sticking it to the Empire was just a bonus.”  
“I see.” Luke got to his feet. hearing the sandstorm raging outside. Since he’d come here, his thoughts had been in turmoil. He’d learned of what his intended future had been. He would have been a farm boy, stranded at this homestead with these people who were not his parents, hidden from his father. He would have been a rebel, and even worse, a Jedi. Now, they’d finally been brought back into balance. This was not where he belonged. This moisture farm was not his home, and never would be. He was a Sith, living manifestation of the long arm of the Empire. That was all that he needed to know. “I see that you are both traitors to the Empire. I see that you conspired with Jedi. I see that you never even considered that my father might still be alive.”  
“Wait,” Beru’s voice was steeped in her initial fear once again. “Anakin is still alive?”  
“No.” Luke slipped his mask onto his face and drew his lightsaber again, painting the homestead blood-red. “But Darth Vader is. And I am his son. My name is Darth Austereus.”


	9. Dagobah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lando and the Rebels travel to Dagobah to seek an old ally.

Wedge stared through the viewport down at the murky green world below. They'd just come out of hyperspace around the swamp planet of Dagobah. The first stage of their mission was complete. They'd obtained the plans for the new Imperial battle station. Now it was time to begin phase two, convincing the Jedi who lived on Dagobah to join them in aiding the Rebel Alliance. From what Wedge had heard, Master Yoda had once been considered the most powerful Jedi of all time. According to Imperial records, he had been killed after attempting to assassinate the Emperor, but other rumors suggested that he had survived, and become one of the few Jedi who had successfully avoided the Purge.  
Wedge was not a big believer in the Force. The idea that some great energy field was in control of his actions was not a comfort to him. He preferred to believe that he had some kind of autonomy. Still, the power of the Jedi was undeniable. He'd seen it firsthand. What abilities would a master of these arts possess?  
“I’m getting some strange readings, commander,” Biggs peered at his control panels. “There’s a lot of life on that planet. I’m not sure how we’re meant to find this person in the middle of that bog.”  
“Well, he’s a Jedi, Biggs,” Wedge muttered, staring at the swamp planet. “I think he’ll give us someth—” His breath caught as the something in question occurred. In one corner of the planet’s upper hemisphere, the storm parted, leaving a perfectly circular hole through the clouds.  
Lando sounded faintly ill. “Are you about to do what I think you’re about to do?”  
Wedge smirked at him. “You don’t honestly think that’s a coincidence, do ya?”  
“Yes!” Lando through his hands into the air in exasperation. “They’re clouds, Wedge!”  
“Might be magic clouds,” Biggs offered helpfully  
“You have any better ideas, smuggler?” Wedge’s gaze was a challenge that Lando was not willing to meet.  
“Yes!” The indignant scoundrel paused, expression sheepish. “Well, no. But that still doesn't make that a good idea!”  
“True,” Wedge looked again at the tiny gap in the storm, a pupil in the milky eye of the planet. “But it does make it the only one we’ve got. Biggs, chart a course for the magic clouds!”  
“Yes sir!” The rebel hotshot typed a command into a console and flipped a number of switches, charting a course that would take them into the aperture. The shuttle may have been designed for important personnel, but that didn’t make it any more of a clunky piece of junk. It lurched into motion with a violent shudder that made Wedge want to put on a space suit. The ship might have taken one too many hits during the escape; one panel had completely winked out, and from the loud wheezing of the engine, Wedge knew they would probably have to make some repairs once they landed on the planet surface. That thought made him nervous. They couldn’t assume that the Empire hadn’t been able to access their hyperspace coordinates. He wanted to get away from this planet as quickly as possible.  
They descended through the clouds, only to find a deeper layer of mist. The clouds enveloped all but the very tallest trees, which emerged, dark, twisted forms in the sea of white. They dove into this sea, surrounded by the fog.  
“This is amazing!” Biggs marvelled at the sensors. “This swamp goes on forever! It’s like the whole world is—”  
“Alive,” Wedge muttered, turning to Lando. “Good place to hide, huh?”  
“Or to set a trap,” came Lando’s sullen reply. He hadn’t talked much since Biggs had reprimanded him.  
Landing was the hard part of their approach. After crashing through a dense canopy, the engine suddenly coughed and failed, sending them plummeting into a large marsh. Water splashed high into the air, startling a number of winged creatures into flight, squawking angrily.  
“Biggs!” Wedge groaned. The fall had knocked him off his feet, and he’d bumped his head painfully.  
“Sorry, commander!” The pilot grimaced, hands flying over the controls. “Looks like the motivator’s jammed. It’ll take a little while to repair it.”  
“Blast it!” Wedge slammed his hand on the control that opened the top hatch of the shuttle. Clambering up the ladder, he called. “I’m going to take a look around. Get the ship up and running again. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to need it.”  
“Uh, Wedge!” Biggs sounded nervous. “Be careful! There’s something big and alive in the water”  
“Oh, great,” Wedge scowled. “As if the Empire wasn’t enough of a problem, now I have to deal with monsters, too.”  
Nothing bothered him in the water, and soon enough, he’d found his way back onto shore, shivering in the frigid dampness only swamps possess. He peered into the gloom, trying to make out some sign of civilization, but was unable to detect anything.  
“At last come for me, have you?” Wedge whirled, scrambling for his blaster, to be confronted with a wrinkled green creature. It was short in stature, with long, pointed ears and a bemused smile. It’s eyes glittered with the strange sadness of those who are very, very old. “Your weapons, no need is there,” it said amiably. “A Rebel, you are?”  
“Uh, yeah,” Wedge reluctantly relaxed his grip on his pistol. “Master Yoda?”  
“Master, no longer, but Yoda, I am.”  
“Um, okay then. We’ve come to ask you to help us win the war over the Empire.”  
Yoda took a long time to answer, and when he did, it was with a world-weary sigh. “Too much war, have I seen. Too much death. But the Sith, allowed to rule the galaxy, must not be. Join you, I will.”  
“Wedge!” Lando could be heard, screaming from the shuttle. “We’ve got company!”  
“You just picked my ship up?” A sneering, female voice spoke from the shadows. “I mean, I knew you Rebels were stupid, but. . .” A figure in dark robes stepped out from behind a tree. It’s face was hidden in shadow, but Wedge could make out a grotesque grin, formed by dim red lights. When a long, crimson blade sprung to life, adding more light, the eerie mask became clear, glittering cruelly in the misty swamp.  
“Darth Manaeus,” Wedge’s hand inched towards his blaster. “We’re dead.”  
“Not right, this is.” The Jedi’s voice was horrified by the terrifying visage of the Imperial enforcer. “Not how this was meant to be.”  
“You talk funny.” Manaeus giggled. “It makes me want to kill you.”  
“We need to leave,” Wedge whispered out of the side of his mouth. “Now.”  
“Silly,” the deranged Sith chided. “You’re not going anywhere.” With that, she made a lunge for the Rebel pilot, but she wasn’t quite fast enough; Wedge’s blaster was out and she twisted out of the way of two blaster bolts, drawing back slightly. She moved like a shadow, contorting and wriggling away from danger with ease. It was clear that she could cut Wedge down whenever she chose. She was playing with him.  
“Follow me,” Yoda called, turning to move deeper into the swamp. “Help us escape, I will!”  
“What are you talking about!” Wedge kept firing wildly, leaving glowing holes in the peat and leaves. “The ship is that way!”  
“Need time to make repairs, your comrades do.” Wedge wanted to ask how the tiny green creature could possibly know this, but he’d learned just to accept such impossibilities when he was dealing with Jedi. “Buy time, we shall.”  
Wedge decided not to argue. He turned and sprinted into the swamp, the crazed cackles of Darth Manaeus much too close. Nothing was known about the woman and her sober counterpart, Darth Austereus, beyond the fact that both were ruthless killing monsters in their own right. They were only marginally better to fight than Vader himself, because you knew what to expect with them. Manaeus seemed to be ruled entirely by her own insanity and bloodlust. She was often unaccompanied by her personal guard, who found themselves on the deadly end of her lightsaber as often as her enemies did. With Austereus, you met cruel, calculating tactics that inflicted as much damage as possible while taking none. Still, it didn’t really matter. There were no records of any Rebel who’d engaged either of them surviving the encounter.  
Yoda, who turned out to be deceptively quick, led Wedge on a twisting path through the bog, slipping nimbly through gaps in the underbrush that the pilot was forced to blindly smash through. Every once in a while, a blinding flash of red reminded him of how close Manaeus was behind. It wasn’t long before Yoda stopped. Mind clouded by panic, it took Wedge a moment to realize what the Jedi was looking at.  
Standing above them was an ancient-looking tree, limbs gnarled and bare. It’s bark was ashen and sick-looking, and it loomed above them in the gloom like some kind of tormented soul, longing for rest. Near its base, the trunk opened like a vast maw. Wedge’s eyes strained to look into the tree, but the shadows did their job well, concealing the depths from his prying eyes. He shivered. This was not a good place.  
“Stay close, you must,” Yoda cautioned, eyes serious. “Strong in the dark side, this place is.”  
“This is crazy,” Wedge bemoaned. “We’ll be trapped in there!”  
“No,” Yoda’s voice was grim. “Trapped, she will be.”  
Wedge was inclined to turn back, to leave this senile Jedi to his madness and actually try to live. But Manaeus was still chasing them, and that probably meant Darth Austereus was somewhere in the area, as well. He’d entrusted Yoda with his life. Now there was nowhere to go but forward.  
“Oh, blast it all,” he muttered, charging deep into the depths of the tree


	10. The Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia finds that she may have confronted more than she can handle in challenging a Jedi Master.

“You can’t honestly expect to hide from me in there!” Leia taunted, emerging into the clearing just as the Rebel and Jedi disappeared into the grotesque tree. This was fun. Her new toys were very fun indeed.  
She recognized Master Yoda, of course. She and Luke had been required to memorize the names, faces, and profiles of every Jedi rumored to have escaped Order 66. But the once-great Jedi seemed old and frail now, and he had fled from her, a budding Sith in her prime. There was nothing to fear from him now!  
Deactivating her lightsaber and dimming the lights of her mask, so as to avoid giving away her position, Leia stepped into the wizened trunk of the tree, peering around with a kind of sneering curiosity. Inside, lizards and snakes scurried and slithered. She could hear the soft, almost imperceptible breathing of the Jedi Master, and the heavier pants of the Rebel pilot, and she grinned. They were just standing in the back of the cavern!  
Then she picked up the breathing of a third person, and instantly leapt back, igniting her blade with a sharp hiss. It had to be a trap! When the light of the weapon reached this new figure, though, it took Leia a moment to comprehend what she saw. It was a young woman, dressed in simple, elegant white robes. Her hair was dark, and pulled into two round buns on either side of her head. She stared at Leia with a haughty, imperious expression, that made the young woman want to quail away, to curl up into a ball and cry. This young woman was her. Somehow, this strange twin of Leia had sprung to life, and she could sense something coming from her. Hopelessness, and anger, but mostly, disappointment.  
“You could have been so much more than this,” the Leia-who-was-not-Leia remarked sadly, eying the Leia-who-was-Leia. “You were meant to be a princess. A Rebel. A diplomat. But look at you.” As the strange vision, the Princess Leia, stared at her, Manaeus felt a tear leak from one eye and make its way down her cheek. She was dimly aware of Yoda and the Rebel pilot making their way around her and out of the cave, but they were only half in focus, lost in the haze of a dream.  
“You’re a Sith,” Princess Leia spat. “You’re a killer. A warmonger. A tool of the Empire.”  
“What was I supposed to be?” Leia sobbed. “How was I supposed to turn my back on my father?”  
“Darth Vader is not your father,” the princess’ voice was cold. “Anakin Skywalker was your father. Bail Organa was meant to be your father. But that time and place were lost, and you became this. . .” she paused, as though looking for the right word. “. . .monster,” she finished, finally.  
“I am not a monster!” Leia shrieked. “I never abandoned that life! It abandoned me! You abandoned me!” She attacked then, striking down this phantom, the princess, the rebel. She collapsed, staring up at Darth Manaeus with grief-stricken eyes, her robes stained with black and scarlet.  
“You were my only hope,” the princess spoke a final time, eyes fresh with tears. Then she faded away, until there was nothing left but the buzz of Leia’s lightsaber and the sting of her tears.”  
“I am not a monster,” she mumbled to herself, over and over again, half-leaning, half-falling onto the cave wall. “I am not a monster.”   
The words of the princess echoed in the Sith’s ears as she suddenly found herself very, very alone.


	11. A New Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both sides regroup for a final conflict above the fourth moon of Yavin.

“Uh, Decimator?” The voice of Leia’s new pilot crackled through the comm system. “This is Captain Solo, of the Perilous Hawk.”  
“Yes, Captain,” Luke answered dully, fighting back a powerful urge to roll his eyes at the pilot’s voice. Then he remembered he was wearing his mask, so he did roll his eyes. “State the purpose of your transmission.”  
“We found the Rebels on Dagobah,” Solo’s voice was nervous.  
“Excellent,” Luke allowed himself a small glow of satisfaction. “I assume Darth Manaeus exterminated them all? I’d have liked to question some of them, but it’s not strictly necessa—”  
“Uh, negative, Luke,” The captain’s voice was uncharacteristically nervous.  
Brushing off the scoundrel’s nerve to call him by his first name, Luke’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? She left some alive? She’s never done that befo—”  
“— They got away,” Solo blurted.  
“What?” Luke gaped at the viewport, imagining the rakish pilot tugging anxiously at his collar. “They escaped? How?”  
“Well, ah, I’m not really sure,” the captain confessed.  
A cold chill ran up and down Luke’s spinal column. “Han,” he said quietly, silently dreading the worst. “Is my sister all right?”  
“Oh, Leia? Yeah, she’s fine.” Captain Solo seemed relieved to have good news. “Just a little shaken up, is all. I’m not sure what exactly happened, she just showed up looking sick and gave me some messages for you.”  
“Well?” Luke sighed impatiently. “What were they?”  
“Oh, right!” Han chuckled to himself. “Well, number one was that the Rebels picked up somebody named Yoda on Dagobah. She said you’d know who that is.”  
“Indeed.” Luke ruminated on this. If these insurgents had managed to convince Jedi Master Yoda to rejoin the fight, this could be a very large problem indeed. Suddenly the fact that Leia had been defeated didn’t seem quite so implausible. Yoda had had close to nine centuries to master the Jedi arts. It would take the two of them together, possibly with Vader’s help, to take him down.  
“Number two,” Han continued, “was that she placed a tracker on the Rebel’s ship. Says according to it they’re heading to the fourth moon of Yavin.”  
“So that’s where the base is,” Luke muttered.  
“Apparently,” the pilot agreed. “She says you should ask for the weapon, whatever that means.”  
Luke knew instantly what Leia meant. Crushing the Rebellion would be a perfect first test for the Death Star. He made a mental note to contact his father after he had ended his conversation with the Perilous Hawk. “Anything else?”  
“Yeah. She said she found something on the planet. Something you two need to talk about.”  
Luke frowned. Unbidden, the homestead came to mind, an image that seemed seared into his head. Was it possible Leia had discovered something similar about herself? “Is that all?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Good. Then head for Yavin Four. I’ll bring the fleet and the weapon and meet you there.”  
“Okay. I’ll tell Leia. Perilous Hawk out.” The line clicked, and Luke quickly punched in the command to contact his father. Unexpectedly, the transmission connected almost immediately. This time, a blue hologram flickered to life, a life-size representation of the Sith Lord’s imposing form looming over him.  
“Luke?” Vader sounded impatient. “Have you apprehended the traitors?”  
“They were on Dagobah, Father,” Luke bowed his head respectfully. “Darth Manaeus engaged, them, but the rebels had located Master Yoda on the planet, and she was defeated. The circumstances are unclear, but she appears to be all right.”  
Vader sighed. “The Emperor will not be pleased. The rebels escaped?”  
“Yes, but Manaeus placed a tracker aboard their ship. She’s traced them to their base, on the fourth moon of Yavin. I’d like to request that the Death Star be brought there for an operations test.  
“Very well.” Vader sounded pleased. “Well done, Luke. I will put your request in to Grand Moff Tarkin. Take your fleet to Yavin and prevent the Rebels from escaping before we arrive.”  
“Yes, Father,” Luke waited for Vader to end the transmission, but instead the Sith Lord paused awkwardly.  
“Luke?”  
“Yes, Father?”  
“May the Force be with you.”  
“And with you, Father.”

***

“Captain Antilles!” Wedge turned to see a nervous-looking young man in a Rebel uniform waving frantically to try and get his attention. “Captain Antilles!” He sighed. The ensign. Again.  
“Did you need something?” He asked vaguely, turning back towards the meeting room. “I really need to get in for the briefing.”  
Wedge, Lando, Biggs, and Yoda had arrived on Yavin a couple of hours ago, delivering the Death Star plans before catching about an hour of rest. Then they’d discovered the tracker on their shuttle, and the entire base stirred, like a hornet’s nest that had been poked. Now, having analyzed the design for the planet killer, Wedge was heading for a meeting that would discuss how they would destroy the station, which was almost certainly heading for Yavin currently.  
“That’s just it, sir!” The ensign, an awkward young man with a scruff of a beard and skin the color of driftwood smiled at him. “I’m coming to the briefing with you!”  
“What?” Wedge felt a sinking feeling build up in his chest. “You’re going to be a pilot this mission?”  
“Yeah!” The ensign grinned. “I just completed my combat courses!”  
“Oh,” Wedge fought to keep a pleasant smile on his face. “Great.”  
“There’s even better news, though!” The fact that the young man thought any of this was good news was slightly alarming. “I’m going to be your wingman!”  
“You’re Red Five?” Wedge was incredulous. They were giving this guy an X-wing? How’d he ever managed to pass the psychological exams? He couldn’t even put a sentence together properly!  
“That’s right! I’ll be flying with you and Biggs!”  
“Ensign Rook!” An irate voice called from inside. “Stop chatting with Captain Antilles and get in here!  
The anxious young man jumped, waving hurriedly at Wedge. “Gotta go! I’ll see you in the air!”  
“Yeah. . .” Wedge grimaced once the ensign’s back was turned. “See you later, Bodhi.”  
The meeting room was rather spacious, but with several dozen rambunctious pilots crammed into it, even a hangar bay would seem cramped. Wedge spotted Lando near the back of the room, staring uncomfortably at the crowd. Wedge almost made towards him, but thought better of it at the last moment and went to speak to Biggs instead. It seemed he was the last person to show up, so General Dodonna, an old man with a long, white beard, stood, calling for order. It took only a few moments to get the pilots to settle down. They were soldiers, after all.  
“Pilots!” Dodonna’s voice was deep and sonorous, commanding attention with it’s richness and gravitas. “Thanks to the heroism of Captain Antilles and Lieutenant Darklighter—”  
“And me!” Lando called from the back of the room. “I risked my tail for you people!”  
Dodonna sighed, the irritation on his face evident. Wedge chuckled to himself. He knew firsthand how chafing the smuggler could be. “Yes, Mr. Calrissian. You too. Anyway, these three managed to obtain the plans to the new Imperial superweapon, the Death Star. This battle station is the size of a Class IV moon, and boasts a primary weapon capable of destroying entire planets.” On the screen behind him, the schematic of the station appeared, a colossal sphere with a firing dish in the upper hemisphere.  
At this a low rumble went through the crowd. This kind of technology was unfathomable. Wedge gritted his teeth. No one should be allowed to possess that level of power, especially not the Emperor. If they allowed this monstrosity free reign, the blood of innocent billions would be on their hands.  
“Uh, general?” Wedge didn’t recognize the voice. Must have been one of the new recruits. “How are starfighters supposed to even scratch that thing?”  
“For one, the Death Star isn’t designed to handle a small-scale attack,” Dodonna explained. “It’s turbolaser cannons are nowhere near accurate enough to lock onto you.” A wry smile twisted his features. “I suppose we can thank Galen Erso for that.” Wedge heard Bodhi cheer from one side. He knew that the Imperial defector had been convinced to join the Rebellion by Erso, and that the news of his death had hit him hard.  
“Two,” Dodonna continued. “There is a flaw in the Death Star. If the reactor module is subjected to a pressurized explosion, it will trigger a chain reaction that will destroy the Death Star. You need only to reach your target, a secondary exhaust port, right below the main port. The target is ray-shielded, so you’ll have to use proton torpedoes for this mission.”  
A loud cry of incredulity came from the pilots. “That shot’s impossible! Even for a targeting computer!”  
“Which is why attempting this attack, you will not be,” It took a moment for the others to identify the source of the voice, but Wedge knew exactly where to look. Master Yoda had stepped beside Dodonna, smiling bemusedly at the pilots. “Destroy the Death Star, I shall.”  
“Master Yoda,” Dodonna breathed. “You can’t expect to do this yourself!”  
“Take some explosives and any volunteers, I will. Infiltrate the Death Star, we shall, and detonate the reactor module, while you and the other Rebels evacuate the base.”  
“But you just got here!” Wedge protested, getting to his feet. “Don’t throw your life away!”  
Yoda regarded him with something like amusement. “Lived quite a long time, I have. Sense that twilight is upon me, I do. For bringing me to where I am needed, I thank you. Now, allow me to do this, you must.”  
Wedge stared in utter awe at the Jedi. Here he was, completely ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for a cause, he’d just joined. After a long moment, he gritted his jaw. “Then I’m coming with you.”  
Lando shot up to his feet. “That’s a suicide mission, Wedge!”  
“It’s what feels right Lando.” Wedge smiled resignedly. “I helped steal the plans to that monstrosity, it only feels right that I help take it out.”  
Lando’s voice was laden with disgust. “Don’t think you’re guilting me into getting myself killed. If you do this, it’s your funeral, not mine.”   
“I’m aware of that, con man.” Wedge shrugged offhandedly. “Please, feel free to go back to your life of crime.”  
Lando sat in a huff, stained cape billowing about him. “Don’t think I’m not.”   
“Excuse me, sir?” Another voice pierced the quiet that had fallen over the pilots and Wedge turned to see Biggs, who looked hesitant. “I’d like to accompany Wedge and Master Yoda, too, please.”  
“Biggs,” Wedge gaped. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”  
Biggs looked like he was already regretting his decision. “Uh, y-yeah! Let’s do this!” He sat back down rather hastily.  
Dodonna seemed to have accepted Yoda’s proposition. The meeting room was silent enough to hear a pin drop. “Thank you for your sacrifice, Master Yoda.”  
“No need, there is,” Yoda stared unblinkingly at the pilots. “Duty of the old, it is, to protect the next generation.” He turned to Wedge, a faint, sad smile stretching over his wrinkled features. “Worthy of thanks, you are, Captain Antilles. And you as well, Lieutenant Darklighter.” Wedge nodded once, his words suddenly lost to him.  
“Indeed.” Dodonna nodded solemnly. “Change of plans, gentlemen!” The grey haired general announced. “You’ll be escorting our transports as they get out of the system! Prepare your fighters, we’ll be leaving as quickly as possible—”  
A loud voice interrupted him. A young communications officer burst into the room, looking frantic. “General Dodonna!” he cried. “Sensors have picked up an Imperial fleet entering the area! They’re forming a blockade!”  
“Blast it,” Dodonna muttered. “Get to your fighters!” he roared, and the pilots leapt into action, scrambling for the doors. “And may the Force be with you!”


	12. Judge Me By My Size, Do You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Leia reunite to hold off the Rebels, but after her encounter on Dagobah, Leia is having doubts.

Luke stared coldly down at the tiny green moon in the viewport, dwarfed by the massive red world of Yavin. Around the fourth moon, the only habitable region in the system, Luke could make out fighters spiraling into orbit, and was struck with an image of angry hornets, buzzing from a trodden nest.  
You’re like hornets, Luke thought, glaring at the Rebel forces as they formed ranks and flew for his fleet. Irritating and insignificant.  
A glance towards the grey sphere barely visible on the side of the viewport told him as much. The Death Star had arrived mere minutes before, and was moving into a firing position. Soon, Luke would get to witness the firing of the new, massive cog in the Imperial war machine, watch the Rebellion disappear into ash and flame. He was looking forward to it.  
“You’re brooding again,” Luke turned to spot Leia, who was smiling at him from the corner of the room. But there was something different about his sister. Normally, her smile was wide, unreserved, even a little manic. But now, she seemed. . . sad.  
“Leia!” Luke’s voice shot up, betraying his concern. “I mean,” he said, regaining control, “You wanted to speak to me, sister?”  
“Oh,” Nervousness flitted over Leia’s features, and Luke gaped in utter confusion. Leia was never nervous. Ever. “Yeah. . .” She trailed off, looking down at her feet, as though waiting for some kind of punishment.  
“Leia, what is it?” Luke stepped a little closer, examining his sister’s face more closely. She was oddly pale, he realized, and with her fingers knotting and unknotting and her normally languid form stiff and clumsy, she seemed very vulnerable. He’d never seen Leia like this, not since they were very small. “What’s wrong.”  
“Well, it’s just. . .” Leia paused, frustration wrinkling her brow. “Have you ever seen something that made you think that maybe there was another life out there for you?A better life?”  
Much as he didn’t want to see it, an image of Owen and Beru Lars sprang into Luke’s head. He shoved it aside. That experience wasn’t something he ever needed to share with anyone, not even Leia. “I can’t say I have,” he said, trying to make his voice sound casual. “Why, did something happen?”  
“Yes. No. Urgh, it’s complicated,” Leia took another tentative step into the room. “I really need to talk about it with you.”  
Luke grimaced inwardly. This was the worst possible time to get dragged into a long, emotional conversation with his sister. “You know I’d love to Leia, but we’re kind of in the middle of a mission, here. Is there any chance this could wait until after the attack?”   
“Oh, yeah.” Leia looked a little crestfallen. “Sure. It can wait.” She crossed over to the viewport in the empty observation deck, staring out at the Rebel fighters, her back to Luke. When she turned back, her old smile was back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “So, what’s the plan of attack?”  
Luke smiled. He knew that they hadn’t really fixed anything, but still, he liked a happy Leia over a sad one, even if she was just faking it. “We’re going to send our fighters to keep the Rebels from escaping, while the Death Star moves into firing position. If all goes well, the entire Alliance will be annihilated in one fell swoop. If not, we’ll mop up the stragglers.”  
“Boring!” Leia bounced on the balls of her feet, frowning at Luke. “We don’t get to do anything!”  
“There’s no need for us to be put in danger,” Luke protested.  
“Then what’s the point?” Leia stared down at the fighters. They were ignoring the fleet, heading straight for some kind of futile attack on the Death Star. Luke could see TIE fighters streaming from their bays, moving in for the attack, but the first three fighters had already broken away. They would reach the Death Star, Luke calculated, but their advance was futile. The superweapon was indestructible. “We’re weapons of the Empire. We’re supposed to just sit here and everyone fight for us?”  
“At this moment, yes.” Luke joined Leia beside the viewport. “Hopefully, after this, there won’t be any need for us.”  
“I hope not.” Leia’s expression was serious. “If we’re useless, we’ll be eliminated.”  
“You’re acting strangely,” Luke remarked. He’d just shut down this conversation, but he couldn’t help it; his curiosity had gotten the better of him. “Still shaken by whatever happened on Dagobah?”  
“Yeah,” Leia didn’t peel her eyes away from Yavin IV. “Something like that.”  
“Lord Austereus?” Luke turned to spot a frightened-looking officer. “We have reports of an attack on the Death Star.”  
“Yes, I know,” Luke snapped. “I saw the fighters.”  
“No, sir,” the officer broke in, his voice cracking in terror. “An attack on the inside of the Death Star.”  
“What?” Luke’s brow furrowed. “I only saw three one-man fighters.”  
“That’s all we’ve been informed of as well, sir,” the officer replied. “But the reports are saying that one of the pilots is a Jedi. They’ve pushed their way through every blockade we’ve set, and we’re not even sure where they’re going!”  
“It must be Yoda!” Leia snarled. “That foul imp! I’m going after him!”  
“What?” Luke caught her shoulder. “He defeated you last time, remember?”  
“He won’t have any blasted tree, this time,” she growled, stalking her way towards the door. “If you’re so worried, come with me.”  
“I’m needed here!” Luke protested.  
“No you’re not,” Leia snapped. “You’ve been staring out a window for the past thirty minutes. Come on!”  
“Fine.” Luke strode to catch up with her, surprised by her newfound ferociousness. “But this isn’t going to end well.”  
“Shut up.”


	13. Knowledge and Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Leia finally confront Jedi Master Yoda onboard the Death Star!

“How hard is it to just get us to the Death Star!” Leia shouted.”It’s right there!”  
“There are also lots of lasers in the way,” Han grunted, weaving the ship this way and that in a complicated maneuver. “Your Worshipfulness,” he added under his breath.  
Leia stomped her foot impatiently as they took what felt like the longest, most roundabout way to reach the Death Star possible. She had to get to the station now, before Yoda and his companions could complete whatever acts of sabotage they had planned. Sure, the Death Star was hardly going to be taken down by three people, but that didn’t mean they wanted them blowing things up.  
But that wasn’t the only reason Leia was so anxious to confront the Jedi Master. Every time she thought of him, she remembered the phantom of the princess, and all the muscles in her body tensed involuntarily. She wasn’t quite sure what had happened in that cave, but it had shaken her to the core. Part of her, the Sith part of her, wanted to reject it as some kind of cheap trick, as an illusion of the Jedi. But there was another, smaller voice, that pleaded for Leia to come to her senses. To do the right thing.  
This is the right thing, Leia thought vehemently. The Empire is the right thing. But still, a newfound doubt gnawed at her. She hoped to quench it with Yoda’s blood.  
The Perilous Hawk landed in the closest hangar bay to the Rebels’ last reported location. Leia cast her cloak aside, leaving herself in her dark tunic, so as not to restrict her movements. Luke did the same, and together, they slipped their masks on, transformed into the demonic figures that inspired fear throughout the galaxy. Monsters.  
No. Leia chided herself. That’s Darth Manaeus. That’s not me. They were on their way down the ramp when she was struck by a sudden whim. She turned on her heel, jarring Luke.  
“Han!” She called. The pilot turned nervously. “You know how to use a blaster?”  
A broad smile crossed his rakish features. “Do I? Oh, you have no idea.”  
“Good.” Leia turned, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth behind the mask. “You’re coming with us.”  
“What?” She heard Luke’s annoyance, even through his voice filter. “Why? He’ll just get in the way.”  
“He’s a member of our team, now,” Leia said decisively. “And I want him with us.”  
Luke sighed, and she assumed that the scowl on his mask was now mirrored by his face. “Fine. It’s on your head.”  
After Han grabbed a pistol from the ship, the three of them set off into the ordered maze of passageways that catacombed the Death Star. Everywhere, they found blaster marks, but strangely, no lightsaber marks. Leia wondered vaguely about this until she remembered one of the details from Yoda’s file in the Imperial database. In his attack on the Emperor, the Jedi Master had been disarmed, and his lightsaber had later been recovered by forensic teams. He was weaponless.  
Leia’s lips curled into a wide smirk. This was going to be even easier than she’d thought.  
Eventually, as they sprinted through the halls, stepping over the bodies of stormtroopers, they began to hear sounds of blaster fire, proving that they were drawing closer. In a matter of moments, they found their targets. Master Yoda, accompanied by two Rebels in flightsuits, was charging down the battlefield, deflecting blaster bolts with his bare hands and sending them back into the ranks of troopers who confronted them. That was right, Leia thought. Master Yoda was a master of the ancient art of energy manipulation, channelling potentially dangerous heat or electricity and redirecting it into something usable, or simply absorbing it into his body. If the rumors were true, Yoda might even be able to deflect her lightsaber blade with his hands. She recognized one of his companions, a clean-shaven man who could have been a do-gooder version of Han, as the Rebel who had been in the cave on Dagobah, and her sneer deepened. This was going to be even more fun than she’d thought.  
Drawing her lightsaber, she ignited it with a sharp hiss, snickering as the two Rebels jumped. Each wore a bulky knapsack, full to the brim with explosives, she assumed. Yoda turned, eyeing her impassively.  
“Returned, you have,” he noted sadly. “And brought your brother, this time. Pains me, it does, to see the Skywalkers reduced to this.”  
“Reduced?” Luke’s chuckle was cold. Sinister. Where, Leia wondered, did her brother get a laugh like that? “You must have grown senile in your exile, Master Yoda. You stand in the heart of the greatest technological marvel in existence. Our marvel. It seems to me that you are the one brought low.”  
“Nothing, you do, but expose the true depth of your folly.” Yoda waved off his companions, who’d just finished dispatching the last of the stormtroopers. “Your mission, continue. The Sith, handle, I will.”  
“What he said!” The clean-shaven one shouted. “Biggs, come on!” The two of them disappeared around the nearest corner.  
“Han, cut them off,” Luke snapped.”  
“Roger that!” The pilot ran back the way they’d come, pulling out his comlink. “Goldenrod, I’m gonna need some directions!”  
“Let’s finish this!” Leia snarled. “You’re gonna pay for that little trick on Dagobah!”  
Yoda tilted his green head, ears twitching. “Trick you, I did not. Strong with the dark side, that tree was. What did it show you?”  
“Shut up!’ Luke lunged forward, his newly lit lightsaber, sending up sparks at the place Yoda had stood only seconds earlier. The Jedi Master had whirled out of the way, moving with an explosive speed that completely belied the Jedi’s age. He lashed out with clawed hands and feet, forcing Luke back. Leia could sense her brother’s astonishment and frustration. She rushed forward to provide assistance, and the two began to circle Yoda like predatory sea creatures, ever watching for a sign of weakness. They struck in sync, falling into the rhythms that had been drilled into them since they were four years old. Leia was the primary attacker, striking with the full ferocity and speed of an acklay, while Luke played a game of defense for them both. The technique wouldn’t work for anyone else. No one else had the absolute trust in each other that the twins had. Leia was perfectly okay with leaving herself fully exposed to attack. She knew Luke would always be there, always be able to save her, and in return, she knew he needed her, needed her raw force to give him the power of the fury he was never able to conjure up. They were the perfect team, a single, two-bodied organism.  
At least, that was how they should have been. This time was different. Because this time, for the very first time in her life, Leia wasn’t sure she was on the right side. So her slashes went wide, her footwork was clumsy, and her grip on the hilt of her lightsaber was loose. Much too loose.  
In, a single, fateful gesture, Leia’s lightsaber was yanked out of her hands by Yoda’s telekinetic powers. In the next instant, she and Luke were forced backwards, skidding in opposite directions. She heard the skkkkt of her brother’s lightsaber deactivating, and blinked blankly at the ceiling. Then Yoda was above her, clutching her lightsaber in his tiny hands, with an expression of regretful determination on his wizened face.  
So this is it, Leia thought, with a hint of mournful amusement. Sorry princess. I guess your hope was for nothing, after all.  
Then Luke was in front of her. And then Leia’s lightsaber had neatly speared him, instead of her. And then Leia’s entire galaxy shattered like glass.  
“LUKE!” Leia was on her feet in the blink of an eye, cradling her brother in her arms, uncaring that she might be struck down in the next instant, because Luke had been hurt and there was nothing else in the universe that mattered. She held him, ready to do something, anything to help, but it was no use. She could see at once. The lightsaber had gone straight through Luke’s heart, charring his insides on the way through. Luke was dying.  
“No,” she sobbed, rocking back and forth. This couldn’t be happening. This was impossible. Together, she and Luke were unstoppable. Invincible. She tossed his mask aside, revealing the young man with dirty blonde hair underneath. “No.”  
“Sorry, Leia,” Luke smiled weakly at her, then coughed violently, features contorting from pain. “Guess we weren’t the perfect team after all.”  
“Yes we were, Luke,” Leia stifled a rattling wheeze. “We were! This is all my fault, I’m so sorry—”  
“Don’t be sorry,” Luke’s yellow eyes shifted slightly, and for a moment, Leia could see blue in them. She hadn’t seen that color since they’d begun their training, all those years ago. “I’m not sure this was ever supposed to work.”  
“What?” Leia’s eyebrows knotted  
“On Tatooine,” Luke coughed, and his lips stained with crimson. “I found the people Kenobi was trying to send me to. I found the place where I would have been a Jedi. I found our aunt and uncle.”  
“What?” Leia sobbed. “Luke, save your strength—”  
“We both know it doesn’t matter anymore.” He smiled. the yellow and blue were so even now, Luke’s eyes could almost be green. “I tried to kill them, but I was too weak. They’re still alive, there on Tatooine. I failed.”  
“No,” Leia shook her head, managing a tearful smile. “I saw my intended path too. I was a princess and a Rebel. That’s why I failed.”  
Luke laughed but the sounded descended into wheezing. “Some Sith we were.”  
“Please, Luke,” Leia pulled him close, tears dampening his hair. He smelled like fire and sand. “I don’t think I could take losing you.”  
“I know you can.” Luke nodded. He was already growing still, and she could watch the life draining from him. “You were always stronger than I was. Now, you need to fight, Leia.” He reached up, and just in time, she realized that Yoda was swinging her lightsaber at her head. She ducked out of the way, drawing on the Force and feeding it her rage and anguish. She pulled her brother’s lightsaber to her hand. With a scream that was equal parts anger and pain. she felt the full force of her dark connection surging forward. It hurled Yoda backwards, splintered glass, folded durasteel, sent sparks pouring like waterfalls. She blinked, and she stood above the Jedi Master’s prone form. She slashed, and his body vanished, leaving just a robe behind. Blinded by hate and grief, she slashed again, and again and again and again, till the wall was red-hot and oozing. Only then did she turn, rushing back to Luke, back to her brother.  
She found him still, staring up with glassy eyes of the deepest blue.  
She wasn’t sure how long she cried. Maybe it was seconds. Maybe it was days. All she knew, was that, eventually, she became aware of a rocking in the battle station, and red lights flashing. Whatever the Rebels had wanted to accomplish here, they’d managed it. And Leia needed to run.  
She wasn’t sure where she was going until she ran into Han, pistol drawn. He stared at her in alarm as she came at him, mask gone, eyes streaky.  
“They pinned me down,” He explained, hurriedly. “Set off some kind of explosion. Something’s happening.”  
“We need to get off the station.” Leia was shocked by how steady her voice sounded. Maybe that was the princess in her, processing her grief through action.  
“Where’s Luke?”  
“Now, Solo!”   
Han stared at her blankly, so she grabbed his hand and kept running. Having someone else had cleared her head. There was no point in trying to save half of a dead heart. There was a point in trying to save her pilot.  
They emerged out into the hangar as gouts of flame started to erupt from the walls, one close enough to feel the heat searing her. A support beam had buckled, collapsing onto the Perilous Hawk, but her ship still seemed undamaged.  
“Hold on!” Han shouted resisting for the first time her guiding arm. “We need to find your brother, don’t we?”  
“He’s dead!” The words were poison in her mouth, the truth in them as caustic as acid. “We have to go!”  
Han’s eyes widened, but he stayed silent, and kept running.  
They were up the entry ramp of her ship in a flash, boots pounding on durasteel. As they burst into the bridge, she saw that Luke’s droid, the R2 unit, had already run all the pre-flight checks. A gift from her brother. Han dove into the pilot seat, and the engines hummed, as another tremor, much larger this time, rocked Leia off her feet. She landed painfully on her side as the other droid, the golden one with flashing eyes, skidded into the room, shouting in panic.  
“What on earth is going on?” He wailed, bouncing off of the copilot’s seat and collapsing in a heap against one panel. “And where is Master Luke?”  
“Punch it!” Leia heard herself scream, watched as the hangar turned to streaking stars. Even in the ship, she felt the shudder of the Death Star’s final moments in her bones, a shockwave that sent the ship careening faster than its engines were ever intended.  
“Droid!” Han barked. “Shunt everything to the rear deflectors!” A series of beeps. “Yes, everything. Even life support. I’m not getting smeared across some backwater system!”  
The ship sailed like a comet, riding the shockwave out into empty space. Every bolt and plate shook so hard Leia was sure they must come apart, that at any moment even the molecules in her body must quake themselves apart into oblivion. But through Han’s piloting or some miracle of the Force, the ship held.  
In time, the shuddering stopped, the processed air turned still, and silence held sway over the cockpit, Leia, Han, and the droids all too shocked by the strangeness of survival to speak.  
C-3P0 was the first to break the silence. “I despise space travel.”  
“They did it,” Han’s voice had a definite quaver in it. “They actually managed to destroy the Death Star.”  
“How could that even be possible?” Threepio wailed. “The odds of the rebels successfully exploiting the Death Star’s weaknesses were fourteen thousand, five hundred and seventy six to one!”   
“The odds don’t matter.” Leia realized she was still sitting on the ground and got stiffly to her feet. “They’ve managed it.”  
“We should contact the fleet,” Han muttered. “Whatever’s left of it.” Most of the capital ships would have been well within the blast radius of the Death Star. The Empire’s military leadership, even Vader himself, had probably been wiped out.  
“No.” Leia shook her head. “Let them think we were destroyed.”  
“What?” Han turned to crane his neck back at her. “Why?”  
“Luke is dead.” It sounded like an explanation enough to her, but she continued anyway. “All the Empire is ever going to bring us is more fire and more metal and more death. I want to live. I want to know what it’s like to be Leia Skywalker, not Darth Manaeus.”  
“I cannot recommend this course of action,” Threepio’s eyes whirred, as though he were processing something that took much of his operating capacity. For a moment, Leia was worried the droid would overheat. “But I am programmed. to obey your orders in the absence of Master Luke.”  
“That sounds like an agreement.” Leia stared at Han, unsure whether to attempt an encouraging smile. Crazed, murderous smiles, she could do, but encouragement would feel foreign on her lips.  
The young man shrugged. “I’m just the pilot. Where do you want to go?”  
Leia smiled, but it all still felt hollow. But for just a moment, she felt a flicker of something inside the cavern of her heart. The tiniest spark of hope had been lit. It wasn’t much, just the echo of a princess who never was, but it was a new hope, and it was hers.  
The ship slipped into hyperspace, leaving rebellions and empires behind to process the wake of this new upheaval. Onboard, a pilot, a grieving Sith, and a pair of droids. An insignificant bunch who could topple emperors, if they so choose. But for now, they simply fly through the blue night of lightspeed, in search of a new home.


	14. Sparks

“I have to admit, Calrissian,” Wedge clapped Lando on the back for the umpteenth time. “You make a pretty good rebel.”  
“Sucker, you mean,” the smuggler grumbled, swatting at an insect that had attached itself to his neck. “How exactly was I supposed to let you commit suicide like that?”  
“You don’t have to wait around,” Biggs pointed out. “You’ve been very clear that there are better things to be doing.”  
“And who exactly is going to keep you out of trouble?” Lando poked an accusing finger into Wedge’s chest. “You’re lucky I had the Falcon!”  
“The hunk of junk exceeded expectations, I’ll give you that.” Wedge chuckled. “But then again, you have yet to get it flying again since then.”  
“I’m working on it!” Lando crossed his arms, pouting. “We’ll be ready to go by the evacuation.”  
As always, Wedge was always surprised by the sheer amount of stuff that had to be packed into boxes during an evacuation of the base. The Rebellion was constantly short of almost everything, but there were still seemingly unending piles of spare power couplings and hydrospanners and bits of fighter fuselage. Still, they were almost ready to go. And it was a good thing, too. The Empire was already on its way to the base.  
“You’d better be,” Biggs snorted. “We’re not waiting around.”  
“Next time, remind me not to rescue you from an exploding planet killer!” Lando pulled his cape further down onto his shoulders. “I’ll just leave you!”  
“Captain Antilles!” Wedge turned to see General Dodonna marching towards them, flanked by guards.  
“Sir!” Wedge saluted. “To what do we owe the pleasure.”  
“I wanted to offer my congratulations for your successful mission.” Dodonna’s eyes crinkled. “And to offer my condolences for the loss of Master Yoda.”  
“Yeah,” Wedge nodded. “I should have been able to save him.”  
“No,” the general shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s hard to surprise a Jedi Master. I’m sure Master Yoda knew what he was getting himself into. You did all you could.”  
“Thank you, sir.”  
“Thank you.” Dodonna turned his focus on Lando, and suddenly his focus was razor sharp. “I see you’re still around?”  
“It appears so.” Lando smiled his most winning, steal-your-cards-and-your-girlfriend smile, but Wedge saw the trace of nervousness in it.  
“Good.” Dodonna smiled. “Welcome to the Rebellion. I’ll speak with all of you after the evacuation,” He said to all three of them. “May the Force be with you.”  
“And with you, sir.” As the general strode away, Wedge grinned broadly. The fire of hope was back in the universe for another day. That was enough for one day. They could spend the next freeing the rest of the galaxy.

A trail of smoke caught in the hot, grainy breeze, drifted upwards, a wisp of black against a purpling sky. One could see the smoke for miles in the Tatooine wastes, and it might draw the Sand People in from the desert, lured by the possibility of a weakened homestead.  
Let them try, Owen Lars thought gruffly. They’ll only get blaster fire for their troubles.  
This new droid would be trouble, though. He could already see it. The red astromech, with its cylindrical head, belched smoke, probably from an overheated motivator. That’s what you got, buying from Jawas. He should have known better.  
Owen loaded the dead droid onto the landspeeder, joints creaking in protest as he lifted the metal chassis. Owen wasn’t nearly as strong as he had been all those years ago, when his step-brother had turned up in the morning sun, dressed in those dark Jedi robes and with that woman in tow.  
Wind whipped against skin weathered by decades of sandstorms as Owen approached the homestead. He’d been thinking of Anakin Skywalker more and more in recent days, ever since they’d been visited by their nephew. Owen was still having uneasy dreams about the young man. There had been a darkness lurking in those unnerving yellow eyes, and his features had carried almost no trace of mercy.  
Almost. The homestead was on the horizon now, the tiny dome that Owen had devoted his existence to, drawing moisture out of the air on this barren rock. He’d been terrified in that moment, when Luke’s laser sword had come out. There’d been such refined fury in his movements, Owen had been sure he would be cut down where he stood.  
But instead, the young man’s face had turned to a mask of anguish. He had deactivated his crimson blade and stalked silently into the desert, a quickly receding, dark silhouette against the pale desert.  
For a few days, Owen had worried that Luke would return, followed by stormtroopers. He’d dreamed that Luke would come back to visit them again, sit and talk over a glass of blue milk. But neither vision had materialized.  
But as Owen grew closer to the homestead, he realized that there was indeed a dark figure, standing outside the sandstone structure. He was dressed in the same type of dark cloak that Luke had worn, and seemed to be speaking to Beru.  
Owen parked the speeder, then went out to join Beru. He forced himself to walk slowly, to control himself. Eagerness did not suit a man of Tatooine, particularly not a moisture farmer.  
He rounded the corner, and realized that the figure was not a man at all. It was a young woman, glossy hair falling in a neat plait down her back. She’d removed her hood, revealing pale, blushing cheeks.  
Owen was at once struck with how closely this girl resembled the woman Anakin had brought so many years ago. He could almost have said it was the same person, except for the eyes. Those eyes, intense, wild, and filled with a pained darkness, were purely Anakin’s.  
“Hello,” the woman spoke, painted in the crimson indigo of a binary sunset. “My name is Leia. I think you met my brother?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I sort of forgot I even posted this so here's the rest of it if anyone is crazy enough to read it


End file.
